English Language Arts 9 and 10

Parallel Structure in
Writing
Enhancing Clarity and Variety in Writing
 Lesson Targets
01 02
Understand the concept of Identify and utilize various
parallel structure and its types of phrases and clauses
importance in achieving to convey specific meanings,
grammatical consistency and add variety, and enhance
clarity in writing and engagement in writing or
speaking. presentations.
03
Apply the principles of
standard English grammar
and usage effectively,
including parallel structure,
phrases, and clauses.
 Parallel Structure
Parallel structure means using the same grammatical form for
similar or equal ideas in a sentence. This helps to make your
writing or speaking clear, coherent, and balanced. For example,
if you have a list of items in a sentence, you should use the same
form for each item.

Parallel structure creates balance, rhythm, and clarity in writing

and speaking. When employing parallel structure, the parts of a
sentence that have the same grammatical function should be
presented in a consistent and parallel manner.
 Parallelism in Verb Phrases:
• She studies hard, practices regularly, and
improves quickly.
(All verbs are in the present tense and simple form.)

• Her grandma has visited Paris, has seen the

Eiffel Tower, and has enjoyed the French
cuisine.
(All verbs are in the present perfect tense and have “has” as
an auxiliary verb.)
 Parallelism in Verb Phrases:
• The campers were singing, dancing, and
laughing all night.
(All verbs are in the past continuous tense and have “ing”
as a suffix.)

• To become a good writer, you need to read a

lot, write every day, and revise your work.
(All verbs are in the infinitive form with “to”.)
Your Turn!
Following the examples given in
writing parallel structure using verb
phrases, construct sentences that
follow the correct parallel structure
using verb phrases.
 Parallelism in Noun Phrases:
• He likes books, movies, and music.
(All nouns are singular and common.)
• She is a teacher, a writer, and a mother.
(All nouns are singular and preceded by an article.)
• They are my friends, my colleagues, and my
mentors.
(All nouns are plural and modified by the same possessive pronoun.)
• He is the one who stole the money, who lied to the
police, and who escaped from prison.
(All pronouns are relative and followed by a verb.)
Your Turn!
Following the examples given in
writing parallel structure using noun
phrases, construct sentences that
follow the correct parallel structure
using noun phrases.
Parallelism in Adjective Phrases:
• She is more intelligent, more creative, and
more successful than her peers.
(All adjectives are comparative and have “more” as a modifier.)

• They are the most loyal, the most reliable, and

the most trustworthy friends you can have.
(All adjectives are superlative and have “the most” as a
modifier.)
 Your Turn!
Following the examples given in
writing parallel structure using
adjective phrases, construct sentences
that follow the correct parallel
structure using adjective phrases.
Parallelism in Adverbial Phrases:
• He works hard, fast, and well.
(All verbs are in the present tense and simple form.)

• She speaks slowly, softly, and sweetly.

(All adverbs end with “ly” and modify the verb “speaks”.)

• They arrived before noon, after lunch, and

before dinner.
(All phrases start with a preposition and modify the verb “arrived”.)
 Your Turn!
Following the examples given in
writing parallel structure using
adverbial phrases, construct sentences
that follow the correct parallel
structure using adverbial phrases.
 Non-parallel Structure
Non-parallel structure means using different grammatical forms for similar or equal ideas in a sentence.
This can make your writing or speaking confusing, inconsistent, and awkward.
• She likes to read, writing, and paints.
(The items are a verb phrase, a gerund, and a verb.)
• He is smart, has a good sense of humor, and
kind.
(The items are an adjective, a noun phrase, and an
adjective.)
• To succeed in life, you need to work hard, honesty,
and courageous.
(The items are a verb phrase, a noun, and an adjective.)
English Language Arts 9 and 10

Thank you for

listening!
ELA with Mr. Aaron Loeb
Resource Page